Category: Guns

My friend Doug (( Who is a fellow gun-owner, and has appeared numerous times in previous range trips that I’ve documented here. This survey is not some sort of sneaky trap. )) is doing a survey for his evolutionary psychology course at the university and is doing a paper on what reasons people have for becoming a firearm owner.
Although he would personally like to get several thousand responses and ask 30+ questions, the course requirements are such that he is only allowed to ask a few questions, and they are rather broad.
I would be very much obliged if some of my gentle readers would be so kind to go to his survey and answer the few brief questions.
He’s looking at closing the survey within the next few weeks, and so would appreciate answers sooner rather than later.
Thanks!

Ok, maybe it’s still winter here in Tucson, but whatever.
Anyway, with all the humidity in the air due to rain and whatnot, I should really clean and re-oil all the guns in the safe.
Of course, I should also go out to the range and shoot them, but I have no time. Whee.

Breaking News: A week ago (( Sorry for the delay. Been busy. )), a 27-year-old man purchased some motor oil, funnels, and paper towels at a local Wal-Mart at 10:00pm. He was openly carrying a Glock 19 in a retention holster.
While paying for his purchases, he noticed another man of similar age carrying a revolver of unknown make and model, also in a retention retention holster. This other man was at a nearby register, also paying for his purchases.
Although both men were openly armed, surrounded by numerous cash registers filled with money, with numerous families with children in close proximity, there was — shockingly enough — no gunfight, robbery, or other acts of violence. Strangely, neither man assumed the other was a violent criminal and neither opened fire. Indeed, none of the employees or patrons were visibly alarmed.
Both men noted the other’s presence and went back to paying for their purchases before going back to their separate vehicles. While walking to his vehicle, the first man walked past an idling police car that happened to be in the area, nodded to the officer, said “good evening”, received a nod in response, and continued walking.
Film at 11.

No, I’m not on fire.
Rather, I’d like to direct your attention to The FIRE, The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a group dedicated to:

[D]efend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience ? the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE’s core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them.

They’re good people.
While neutral on various hot-button issues (including firearms on campus), FIRE is willing to bat for various individuals and groups whose speech is being repressed on campuses. Take, for example, their work on behalf of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus — an individual was denied the right to form a local chapter of SCCC when the administrators told the student that “such a group would never be allowed on campus and threatened her with disciplinary action for her attempts to inform her fellow students about the cause.” She went to FIRE, who lawyered up, and the college caved.
If you’re not familiar with them, I urge you to check them out.

As many readers may know, Costco prohibits the carriage of firearms within its stores. As a private entity, they are perfectly within their rights to do so, and while I may disagree with their decision, I respect it.
Naturally, there are those who do not agree with their decision and will carry anyway. This is prohibited by Costco’s policy, and Costco can ask them to leave (and failing to do so is trespassing). Even so, I’m sure there’s not a few people who think “concealed means concealed” and don’t worry about it. I may disagree, but I understand.
Then, there’s the guy who walked in to the local Costco tonight: baseball hat on backwards, tag still attached to it, oversized t-shirt, with a Ruger semi-auto pistol (exact model unknown) openly carried in a cheap, nylon holster with no retention other than a small velcro strap. Oh, and he’s there with his wife and four kids. He totally took “classy” to a whole new level.
It’s one thing to carry discretely where it’s not permitted, but it’s another thing entirely to do so brazenly and openly.
Don’t be “that guy”.

Someone in a thread on Fark asked why, if the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, he can’t have a nuke.
Another commenter replied with a rather snarky answer: “Two reasons, you don’t have the money to buy one and you’re not smart enough to build one.”
I was amused.

The ASUA voted 9-0-0 to approve the measure opposing SB1011, according to Richard, who attended the meeting. I was unable to attend due to prior commitments.
According to Richard, it was clear that they had made up their minds prior to voting. When I was at the public forum the night before, I also observed similar behavior: they rolled their eyes, didn’t pay much attention, and generally looked aloof and uninterested. None of this surprises me.
Richard sent me video of the vote, and it’s of higher quality than my previous video, and I’ll get it up here soon. I’m on campus right now and don’t have any audio, so I can’t figure out a good place to split it for YouTube.